Shakhtar Donetsk players panic stricken as Celtic's Champions League rivals react to Kyiv missile attacks

Shakhtar Donetsk players have been left frantic with worry after the latest missile attacks on Kyiv rocked Ukraine on the eve of their Champions League showdown against Real Madrid in Warsaw.

The Ukrainian outfit are in Group F with Celtic and are preparing for their match with the Spanish giants before heading to Parkhead later this month following a 1-1 draw when the teams met in Poland on matchday two. There have been reports of Russia bombing cites across Ukraine on Monday in apparent revenge strikes after President Vladimir Putin declared an explosion on the bridge to Crimea to be a terrorist attack. Explosions were also reported in Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in Ukraine’s west, Dnipro and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia in the south and Kharkiv in the east.

And, on the eve of their clash with Real Madrid, The Athletic reporter Adam Crafton wrote on Twitter: “Spent some time the morning with Shakhtar Donetsk players/staff in Warsaw. This morning several of them are literally sitting here scrolling their phones and contacting parents/families/friends in basements in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia. Tomorrow they play Real Madrid.”

Shakhtar Donetsk currently sit second in Group F on four points after a thumping win over RB Leipzig in Germany and a draw against Celtic. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

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